Mom of 3rd Culture Kids

Sin is the target

Heb. 12:10:

Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness (NIV).

Our kids can be award-winning actors when they think showing remorse will persuade us to fore-go a consequence. When they pull at our emotional heartstrings, it can be a tempting proposition because following through with discipline is inconvenient and energy draining most of the time!

Of course, we try the same thing ourselves when we pray for God to rescue us from the results of our poor decisions. But God usually allows us to suffer the consequences of our sin as part of His loving plan to transform us into the image of Christ. It takes a deeper love to give us what we need over what we want.

We imitate the Perfect Parent when we are strong enough to see the long-term benefits of discipline even when our kids can’t. It’s not always easy, but when we calmly and lovingly follow through with discipline, we prepare our kids to see the love behind the discipline of their Heavenly Father.

Wise discipline is a reflection of a truly loving parent.

taken from crosswalk.com

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My thoughts:

I’m really praying hard these days that I will be able to wisely discipline our kids. It’s really true that the process of discipline drains our energy especially as there is usually and outburst of emotions during those specific times. But we love our kids and that’s why we have to discipline them that they may know what’s right from wrong and in the future they themselves can practice self- discipline.

Cheap substitutes

I Kings 12:28:

After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt” (NIV).

After Solomon died, the kingdom of Israel divided. Jeroboam became king of the Northern Kingdom and Rehoboam, king of the Southern Kingdom. At that time, Jewish men were required to travel to the temple in Jerusalem three times a year, but Jeroboam was afraid these regular trips to the Southern Kingdom would undermine his authority. He decided to set up his own worship centers at Dan and Bethel and installed a golden calf at each location. Because it was more convenient, the people were willing to trade real worship for Jeroboam’s substitute religion.

Don’t sacrifice God’s best on the altar of cheap substitutes. Sometimes we pursue the things of this world for ourselves and for our kids thinking they will satisfy us more than God. A personal relationship with God takes time, commitment, and interaction with the Word. When you are tempted to short circuit the process, remember that God doesn’t grow oak trees overnight.

Life is found in Jesus Christ, not substitutes!

Taken from Crosswalk.com

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My thoughts:

A spiritual legacy

Acts 12:21-24: On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not a man.” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died (NIV).

This verse refers to Herod Agrippa I, who was the grandson of Herod the Great. Interestingly, this event is also recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus in his work, Jewish Antiquities. Josephus describes the royal robe Herod was wearing as “a garment of woven silver which gleamed in the rays of the rising sun.” No wonder the people were impressed! In the end, however, Herod’s arrogance couldn’t save him from a humiliating demise.

Whether it is the newest gadget or the most fashionable clothes, the truth is, we often use material possessions to gain worldly validation for ourselves and our kids. The satisfaction these things bring, however, is always fleeting. Instead, God wants us to trust in Him by surrendering our glory for His.

Choose to pursue a spiritual rather than a material legacy.

Taken from Crosswalk.com

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My THoughts:

How to can I pursue spiritual legacy to my children?

I believe that this can be done by always talking to them about Biblical principles and by continuing to model to the spiritual disciplines such as worship, reading God’s word and the Bible.

I’m currently thinking to have family worship before putting the kids to sleep but we’ll have to work out our schedules first before implementing this.